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Chosen by Congress, in the eighteenth century, as the midpoint between the northern and southern states, the capital takes its name from its proximity to George Washington's home at Mount Vernon, just across the Potomac River. A city of lush green parks, broad tree-lined avenues and magnificent marble buildings and memorials, the capital's scarcity of skyscrapers set it apart from other American cities infusing it with an older, more European aspect. It attracts around twenty million visitors each year and, unusually, admission is free to virtually all the major attractions. A great many of the most famous are located close to each other in the Mall, Constitution Avenue and Jefferson Drive area.

Washington Attractions

Smithsonian Information Centre
1000 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington D.C
Tel: +1 202 357 2700

The Smithsonian, although best known as one of the world's top museums, was established in 1846 as a scientific research center. Over the years it has grown from this original Normanesque Smithsonian Institution Building (also known as 'The Castle') to include thirteen museums and a zoo.

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington D.C. 20004
Tel: +1 202 456 7041

Styled on the neo-classical Georgian manor houses around the Irish capital, Dublin, the White House was completed in 1800, but has been altered and added to by successive presidents and their first ladies. Free tours operate throughout the year, but at busy times tickets may be required. The Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue is a small museum of 'first family' photographs, film and memorabilia and provides a better insight into life in the White House.

United States Capitol
Capitol Hill, between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue, Washington D.C
Tel: +1 202 225 6827

Begun in 1793 and rebuilt and extended through to the 1950s, the Capitol is the hub of the capital containing the House of Representatives and the Senate with the city's major thoroughfares radiating out from the central point of its rotunda. To view Congress in session a pass is required, which can be obtained from a Congressman or the Sergeant-at-Arms.

National Zoological Park
3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington D.C. 20008
Tel: +1 202 673 4800

Famous as the home of Hsing Hsing, one of a pair giant pandas donated by the People's Republic of China during Richard Nixon's 1972 visit, the 'BioPark' also has a rare blue eyed Bengal tiger and an intriguing innovation for its colony of orang-utans.

National Museum of American History
North side of the Mall, Between 12th and 14th Streets NW, Washington D.C. 20560
Tel: +1 202 357 2700

An astounding exhibition of kudos and kitsch, the National Museum of American History has a vast collection including the first 'star-spangled banner' which survived the bombing of Baltimore harbour in 1812, a Woolworth's lunch counter evocative of the era of segregation, George Washington's wooden teeth and Dorothy's 'ruby slippers'.

National Museum of Natural History
North side of the Mall, Between 9th and 12th Streets NW, Washington D.C. 20560
Tel: +1 202 357 2700

A mix of traditional anthropological exhibits, video, interactive display and a fabulous gemstone collection which includes the 45-carat Hope Diamond.

Vietnams Veterans Memorial
900 Ohio Drive SW, Washington D.C. 20242
Tel: +1 202 634 1568

The most visited site in Washington, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a forceful reminder of the 58,000 American men killed or missing during the Vietnam War from 1959 to 1975. In a grove to the east is a memorial to the 11,000 enlisted women who also served.

Lincoln Memorial
23rd Street NW, South of Constitution Avenue, Washington D.C. 20242
Tel: +1 202 426 6842

Completed in 1922 and modelled on a classical Greek temple, the Lincoln Memorial has come to embody the country's commitment to civil rights and was the place chosen by Martin Luther King Junior to deliver his 'I have a dream...' speech in 1963.